... also referred to as hedonic treadmill, is defined as "the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes"  - Positive Psychology Program.

After a while, people become used to change...

People become used to whatever changes are causing their increase in happiness. Over time, the initial excitement of the thing that happened wears off with a return to the "set level of happiness."

Someone who undergoes a positive experience with desirable offshoots can shift their levels o...

Critics view the hedonic adaptation tendency as a generalization that fails to take potentially shifting factors into account.

• Significant life events such as loss of employment or the end of a major relationship can change one's original level of contentment.
• Negative events a...

• Shifting adaptation levels: When an individual experiences a slight emotional up or down, and then returns to his or her default level of happiness.
• Desensitization: When an individual becomes desensitized to a circumstance or situation they no longer have the same reac...